Officer injured after police SUV crashes into semi-trailer in Kelowna

A Kelowna police officer was rushed to hospital Monday night, after the Chevrolet Tahoe he had been driving collided with a commercial vehicle along Highway 33 near Loseth Drive.

Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said the officer was a Constable of the Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Services section was actively responding to a priority call, with lights but no sirens activated.

“The Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section has taken carriage of the collision investigation, which is in it’s very early stages,” stated O’Donaghey. “Due to the extent of the damage caused to the police SUV, fire fighters required the jaws of life to safely extricate the experienced police officer from the passenger compartment.”

The officer suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.

His K9 partner was safely pulled from the wreckage, by his fellow officers, and has since been transported to a local veterinarian for further assessment.

The driver of the semi tractor, who sustained what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries in the crash, was medically assessed at the scene and transported to hospital as a precaution.

One witness stated she heard a loud bang and came out of her home to see what happened. She said she was shocked to see the extent of the damage.